1. Field
The present disclosure relates generally to systems and methods for controlling the movement of a vehicle. More particularly, the present disclosure relates to automatically controlling the movement of a vehicle in an unpredictable manner.
2. Background
Manned and unmanned air vehicles may be used to perform a variety of military and other missions. For example, one type of mission that may be performed by an air vehicle is a surveillance mission. In this case, the air vehicle may be flown from a base location to a location near a point of interest. The air vehicle then may be flown in an area near the point of interest while surveillance equipment on the air vehicle is trained on the point of interest. The surveillance equipment may include, for example, imaging systems and other systems on board the air vehicle for obtaining information about the point of interest.
The point of interest that is the target of a surveillance mission or other mission by an air vehicle may be stationary or moving. For example, the point of interest may be a building, a fixed weapon system, or another stationary military, industrial, or other object of interest. Alternatively, the point of interest may be a moving person, a vehicle, a convoy of vehicles, or another moving object of interest.
Various constraints may limit the manner in which an air vehicle may be controlled to perform a mission in an area near a point of interest. These constraints may be imposed, for example, by the capabilities of the air vehicle, by the capabilities of equipment on the air vehicle that is being used to perform the mission, by weather or other environmental conditions, by particular details of the mission to be performed, or by other factors or combinations of factors.
The performance capabilities of an air vehicle may limit the altitude and speed at which the air vehicle may be flown in an area near the point of interest during a mission. Capabilities of surveillance equipment or other equipment on board the air vehicle may dictate the maximum distance from the point of interest at which the air vehicle may be flown while performing a surveillance mission or other mission.
Topography, weather, or other environmental conditions may limit the area near a point of interest that may be used by an air vehicle to perform a mission. For example, a storm, enemy radar emplacements, or other conditions or combinations of conditions may create “no-fly zones” near the point of interest through which an air vehicle should not be flown. Time on station limitations, surveillance image quality requirements, or other particular requirements of a surveillance mission or other mission also may constrain how an air vehicle is flown in an area near a point of interest during the mission.
It may be desirable that an air vehicle is not detected by hostile forces as the air vehicle performs a mission in an area near a point of interest. Detection of an air vehicle performing a mission near the point of interest may allow hostile forces to take action to thwart the mission. For example, in response to detecting the presence of an air vehicle flying near the point of interest, objects of interest may be moved or hidden by hostile forces in an attempt to prevent successful completion of a surveillance mission by the air vehicle.
Detection of the presence of an air vehicle performing a mission near a point of interest may lead to an attack on the air vehicle by hostile forces. Such an attack may force the air vehicle to abandon the mission. In the worst case, such an attack may lead to loss of the air vehicle.
Current systems and methods for controlling the flight of an air vehicle may provide little, if any, help to a pilot controlling the movement of the air vehicle in a manner that satisfies the various constraints for performing a mission in an area near a point of interest. Currently, automated navigation systems may be used for controlling the flight of an air vehicle from one location to another location. In the context of performing a mission in an area near a point of interest, an automated navigation system may be used to control automatically the flight of the air vehicle from a base location to a location near the point of interest. However, current automated navigation systems are not adapted for controlling the movement of an air vehicle in an area near a point of interest to perform a surveillance mission or other mission in the area. In particular, current systems and methods for controlling the movement of an air vehicle in an area near a point of interest may not reduce the likelihood that the air vehicle is detected by hostile forces while performing a mission in the area.
Accordingly, it would be beneficial to have a method and apparatus that takes into account one or more of the issues discussed above as well as possibly other issues.